A common emergency information lighting system comprises a primary light source and a housing for the primary light source. The primary light source has electrically powered lighting components (e.g., filaments, transformer ballast, etc.) and an envelope (i.e., a “bulb”) that surrounds these lighting components. The housing typically comprises a series of walls, and a front wall includes indica openings which correspond to emergency information. For example, the openings can spell out the word “EXIT” or show an arrow pointing in an appropriate escape direction. A business office, factory, school, or other public building can have dozens and sometimes even hundreds of such emergency information lighting systems.
When the primary light source is illuminated, the primary light shines through the indicia openings, thereby displaying the emergency information. However, when the primary light source is not illuminated because its power supply is interrupted, the information will not be visible. In this situation, supplemental power can be provided via a battery or secondary electric source (e.g., an on-premise emergency generator) so that the emergency information will remain visible during emergency conditions.